Tom Lechtenberg has been to many places over his years serving athletes and coaches around the United States, but there's nothing he loves more than building relationships and getting his athletes back to 100 percent.
Athletic Training is the perfect mix of what Lechtenberg enjoys, be around sports, exercise, and help people. He saw athletic training as the best mix of all of them.
He began his career at Kansas State University, getting his undergrad degree and working with a variety of sports with the Wildcats. From there he went to get his master's degree at the University of New Mexico where he was an athletic trainer at a high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was the only athletic trainer at the high school, and he had to learn quickly how to delegate his time and get organized with over 1,000 student athletes. He had to develop a student-athlete training program, manage his student-athletes, and delegate his time with teaching, school, and athletics while having some personal time.
Lechtenberg was in Albuquerque for a few years before heading to the University of Texas El Paso. At UTEP, he worked football, volleyball and women's soccer. He loved his time at UTEP, but his family and career goals were not lining up like he wanted them too. He spent the next four years working as a high school athletic trainer in El Paso, Texas. Lechtenberg returned to his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, to help his parents and work as an athletic trainer on contract for various schools.
When the time was right, Lechtenberg made the decision to go back to his one true passion and love, college athletics. He started at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In June of 2018, he found his home at UTPB and he has been here since as the Head Athletic Trainer.
He enjoys the college atmosphere over the high school level because of the people. You get to help student-athletes and get to see them grow into adults. Seeing the athlete you helped get back to the field and play. He enjoys his staff, and he has made tons of friends that are athletic trainers and those that are not athletic trainers as well. These relationships are great and makes this job very enjoyable.
In his spare time he likes to exercise and to spend time with his family. His son plays football and Lechtenberg likes to help his son with his training and physical development. He also likes to watch television with his wife and go on vacations when they can.
